Kasich had courage on Medicaid

Kudos to Gov. John Kasich for having the courage to buck many of his party's legislators and push ahead with an expansion of Ohio's Medicaid health insurance program.

Faced with a Republican-controlled Legislature reluctant to vote on expanding the program, Kasich engineered an end-around using a little-known legislative body called the State Controlling Board. The seven-member board has the power to appropriate money. With House Speaker Bill Batchelder agreeing to appoint a pro-expansion Republican to the board, Kasich had the votes he needed to accept $2.5 billion in federal money to expand the program, which covers low-income Ohioans.

Time was short, as the money is available Jan. 1, and the state needs time to get prepared. About 330,000 low-income adults who now don't qualify would be newly eligible, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. It should improve the economic and health outlook of poor residents and cut the losses to hospitals that aren't compensated for the care they provide to the uninsured.

It will improve Ohio's economy, injecting an additional $1.4 billion over the next nine years as a result of the expansion, according to an Ohio State study.

Most importantly, it's simply the right thing to do to help improve the lives of those who might otherwise go without medical care. Kasich was passionate about it, saying Monday "The morality of a human being who's been blessed, helping a human being who has challenges, is a moral imperative in our lives. It just is." His persistence in finding a way to do this is refreshing, especially in the face of opposition from his own party.

Politically, it may have been risky, but Kasich has public opinion on his side, as well as the backing of many business, health care, religious and civic groups.

It wasn't an ideal solution, as it may face a court challenge, but it was a bold and compassionate one.

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Kasich had courage on Medicaid

Kudos to Gov. John Kasich for having the courage to buck many of his party's legislators and push ahead with an expansion of Ohio's Medicaid health insurance program.